Sunday, May 4, 2008

The New Four-Letter Words (*updated*)

Isn't it uncanny that most truly nasty words in the English language - yes, "those" words - are all four-letter words? With the exception of 'ass', I can't think of one that we use that in its base form isn't just a plain four-letter word. Maybe it's just a co-ink-i-dink, maybe it was planned that way so that someone could generally sweep them all under the category of Those Four Letter Words, maybe it was for expediency so that even the most illiterate could understand and use them. Who the hell (See? Another one!) knows. In any case, I have some new ones that I would like to add to the list. These are the four-letter words associated with infertility:

Want.




Envy.




Hope.




Fair.

'Want' is probably one of the first words that children learn (not that I have personal experience with this one - and my mother cannot remember what my first word was, so I can't even use myself as an example. Foiled!) 'Envy' has gotten a bit of a bad rap what with being one of the Seven Deadly Sins and all. 'Fair' is taught in schools as the bellweather of behavior. And 'hope', well, hope is tarted about everywhere from stationary to jewelry and has been reduced to a platitude that makes people feel better.

Each of these words has taken on new meaning in the context of infertility and has a new definition. I had started out just writing a post about why I had this problem with wanting and envying and then I realized that what I was writing was actually multiple posts about the words that we hear and that we use to describe or justify what we're going through. So, over the next several weeks, I will write a post about each word and how it is now a four-letter word when it comes to infertility.

Are there any four-letter words that you would like to add?

*Updated* I thought of another one while reading comments to someone who just suffered a loss: LUCK.
image: mag3737

13 comments:

Denise said...

I would add "pity."

jp said...

I would add "need"

Unknown said...

I am looking forward to your series on 4 letter words. I would add "cost."

peesticksandstones said...

Ooh, this is fun!

I'd like to add "BUMP"... which not only is the the media obsessed with (is that a baby, or did Lindsey Lohan eat a taco?) but also I am -- scanning, unconsciously, every single woman I walk by to make sure she's not pregnant.

KimboSue said...

I would add "wait" and "time."

KH99 said...

What fun! "spot" which is what I always started to do on 10dpo and let me know unequivocably that the cycle was over. "endo" which ruined my one and only functional tube.

American Gods was a very interesting book.

Shinejil said...

I'd add a very abstract "just." As in, "just adopt" or "just relax" or "just get over it and move on."

Just pay it no mind as I clock you one in the kisser.

Paranoid said...

Hmm. I can't think of many 4-letter words. Maybe "nope," the word I utter every month when I report the latest BFN to The Boy.

Shelli said...

LUCK. Yep, you hit it on the head. I can't even tell you how that one word sums up my entire life at the moment.

JellyBelly said...

i'd like to add yoga.

if it wasn't for yoga i would've gone nutso a LONG time ago.

KH99 said...

I thought of another: easy.

Gumby said...

PUKE
As in "If I see another pregnant woman, I'm going to puke!"
or
"These hormones I'm on are making me feel like I'm going to puke."
or
"The hormones make me puke."
or
"The thought of spending all this money we don't have just for a chance of getting pregnant makes me want to puke."
or
"If one more person tells me to 'just relax' or gives me some other piece of stupid assvice, I'm going to force myself to puke on them!"
Etc, etc...

:)

Melanie said...

Hmmm. This is a tough one. I have my usual favorite four letter words, but this requires more creativity (and general politeness). Maybe... When.